Accessibility statement

German Idealism: Moral, Legal & Political Philosophy - PHI00073H

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  • Department: Philosophy
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. James Clarke
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: H
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
    • See module specification for other years: 2021-22

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2024-25

Module aims

Subject Content

  • To provide an introduction to the moral, legal, and political philosophy of German idealists such as Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel.
  • To consider the relevance of that philosophy for debates in contemporary moral, legal, and political philosophy.

Academic and Graduate Skills:

  • To develop students' abilities to engage critically with philosophical texts.
  • To develop students' abilities to develop and defend their own interpretations of philosophical texts.

Module learning outcomes

Students will be able to...

Subject content:

  • understand and evaluate the moral, legal, and political philosophy of German idealists such as Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel.
  • understand and explain key concepts such as 'recognition', 'the pure I', 'striving', 'ethical life', etc.
  • relate the moral, legal, and political philosophy of the German idealists to debates within contemporary moral, legal, and political philosophy.

Academic and graduate skills:

  • read and critically engage with complex and difficult philosophical material;
  • develop and defend a considered view on complex and difficult material.

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay 4000 words		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay 4000 words		 N/A 100

Module feedback

Written feedback on formative work will normally be available within two weeks of submission.

Written feedback on assessed summative work will be four weeks after submission.

Indicative reading

Fichte, J. G. Foundations of Natural Right (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.)

Fichte, J. G. The System of Ethics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.)

Hegel, G. W. F. Elements of the Philosophy of Right (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991.)

Honneth, A. The Struggle for Recognition. The Moral Grammar of Social Conflicts. (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1996).


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.